WANTED: Vectrom multicart

[gliptitude]

This is the fairly common Vectrex multicart with dip switches.

I used to have one of these and sold it to a friend as part of a Vectrex package for her father last Christmas, thinking I could easily replace it.

Well the guy who was selling these has since closed his online shop (or at least it has been "on vacation" for like 6 months), and has one or two for sale at a time on ebay, at a higher price than before, $60 + $13 shipping, which takes like a month to arrive here from France and is more than I'm willing to pay.

So I'm just asking here if anyone has one they'd sell or trade. I'm thinking a lot of people have replaced it with a "better" multicart, so wouldn't mind parting with this one. I have done that as well, but I enjoy the switches on this one, and I am wanting to do my own custom cart case.

PM me or post in this thread. Thanks.

[jfmateos]

Hi gliptitude, I can gift you a home made multicart I have been developing (I have an extra prototype). It only can store up to 4 32kb games, but it is very easy to change the games through USB. It has not case... just a bare PCB.

[gliptitude]

Hey, that sounds awesome jfmateos!

I will send you a Personal Message for details.

If you are interested in a custom cartridge case for that, I can do some experimentation for you. I have (limited) experience with casting and mold making and would be a bit excited for a new project.

.. For public knowledge: I am still interested in acquiring a Vectrom cart from a U.S. seller for less than $73 shipped.

[jfmateos]

Nice gliptitude... I am also experimenting with PUR resin casting, but the bubbles are reducing the quality of the duplicates (see the photo below).

I would like to use a paint pressure pot, but they are quite expensive here in Spain...

So I will propably end trying a pressure cooker, although I have security concerns

[gliptitude]

Hey jfmateos, those results look pretty good to me. I'd say that you are already further along in the exact same process that I would have been using.

I have never used a pressure pot, and have the same reservations as you, but I know that that is the real way to get reliable bubble free castings.

I can say though that I have gotten slightly better results using CLEAR resin. Without a pressurized environment there are visible bubbles within the casted part, but I found that the clear material was less prone to SURFACE bubbles. The "visible bubbles within" were acceptable to me, and with some color dye added, the result resembled hard candy. Also being clear/translucent lends a visual complexity to the part, which in some ways distracts the viewer from minor defects.

There are also things to try like heating the mold before casting or using a mold release product. Pouring the resin in a very thin stream, or on the other hand if you are using a faster setting resin, make sure you mix and pour as quickly as possible. .. From the looks of it I am guessing that you already know all of this, and know better than me.

I use Alumilite because it is the most readily available in my country. I'm sure it is a different product you are using, but may be very similar or even identical. IDK.